Next weekend, a self-proclaimed failed-drummer-turned-radio-host and a leader of local band Jct 27 will partner up to stage the return of their annual ukulele themed festival, which was postponed last year due to the pandemic.
Hosted by WMNF host and DJ, Flee (real name Lee Courtney) and member of Jct 27 frontwoman Rebecca Michela, the 6th annual Uke It Out has expanded to two days, in two venues on both sides of the Bay. Music lovers, ecstatic musicians and free-spirits of all ages are welcome.
6th Annual Uke It Out
w/AppleButter Express Duo/Jct 27/Rebekah Pulley/Pineapple Scruffs/Renee and The Rollers and Tom Hood & The Tropical Sons/more
Friday, Dec. 3, 7 p.m. at New World Brewery (810 E Skagway Blvd., Tampa)
Saturday, Dec. 4, 4 p.m. at Cage Brewing (1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg)
$17-$20 (kids 12 and under are free).
wmnf.org
Performers at New World Brewery in Tampa and St. Pete’s Cage Brewing include AppleButter Express Duo, Jct 27, Rebekah Pulley Twosome, Pineapple Scruffs, Renee and The Rollers and Tom Hood & The Tropical Sons.
“Flee had always wanted to do something with the ukulele in terms of doing a show or festival and I was interested in doing that. So we were talking and at the same time I had the name [for the festival],” Michela told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “I came up with the name Uke It Out, and we just decided to collaborate, work together and create a local ukulele festival to really showcase all the local performers who have fans and play their ukuleles.”
The popular theory says that ukulele originated from the Madeira Island of Portugal. When Portuguese immigrants sailed to Hawaii, they brought their ukuleles, which at that time were known as Portuguese braguinhas or machete de bragas. Legend has it that local Hawaiians witnessed a ship member play a braguinha; his fingers dancing across the frets resembled a jumping flea, so the Hawaiians renamed the instrument, the jumping flea, or ukulele.
Michela’s ukulele roots extend back to her youth, second grade specifically, when she picked up her mom’s Baritone uke thinking it was a guitar. She still gets that same Baritone uke restrung occasionally, and nine years ago she started Jct 27—a quartet featuring a soprano ukulele, a tenor ukulele, a guitalele (a six string instrument the size of a ukulele) a Ubass (ukulele bass) and a percussionist who doubles as a ukulele player. The band, like many of the other Uke It Out acts, is playing both nights of the festival.
“Most people are very surprised when they go and hear the diverseness of the instrument and how the bands perform and the different songwriting styles and techniques,” Michela said.
Tom Hood & The Tropical Son—also slated to serenade the audience on both nights—concurs.
“So what I tell everybody is, I was a harmonica player and a guitar player for years, and then around 2000 I got my first uke. I actually was playing mandolin, but I thought it was hard to play. Hard to keep in tune and the strings hurt my fingers. I wanted something with a similar voice so I bought a uke off of eBay and fell in love with it,” Hood said, adding that the setlist will encompass a wide range of genres due to the versatility of the instrument.
“You can really play most types of music. Typically my songs span country, rock, blues and island flavored kind of stuff, so I can do reggae, blues whenever, which makes it fun,” Hood said. “It’s a really social instrument to play with other people. Now guitar players, if you get 30 guitar players in a room, it’s chaos to get them to play together, but with the ukulele, it’s the opposite. The more people playing that C chord, the cooler it sounds.”
In addition to listening to ukulele bands, Uke It Out prides itself on its opportunities for audience involvement. Audience members are welcome to play along with others during the Tom Petty and Beatles jam. The organizers are providing chord sheets for people to read so even beginners can have a chance to experience the community aspect of the uke, but the most crucial event of the night is the 30 minutes carved out for the open mic.
From the electric elements of Jimi Hendrix to the mellow moods of Bob Marley, the Uke It Out festival themes each year’s contest after a widely-known and recognized style of music that can be perpetuated on the uke. Those at Uke It Out duke it out during the open mic trophy contest and this year the contest will strum its way through the bluesy tunes of Muddy Waters. According to Michela, willing participants are asked to arrange a two-minute cover of any Muddy Waters song to perform.
Wondering what to wear? Uke It Out does not have a strict dress code, in fact, anything goes according to Flee who coordinates his outfits each year to match the mood of the festival.
“[This year] I’ll be going with the grass skirt, Hawaiian shirt and the coconut shell bra,” Flee added that during one of the previous Uke festivals he changed his outfit halfway into the show to introduce a sparkling, all-white tuxedo. “This year I think just one outfit. Sorry to disappoint.” he said with a rumble of laughter.
Doors open each day and hour before the show starts. Tickets are $17 per person 12 and older when purchased in advance and $20 per person at the door. Kids 12 and under are free. The Tampa Bay Ukulele Society partners with WMNF and considers Uke It Out a fundraiser, therefore all proceeds are going toward WMNF to keep community radio alive. A negative COVID test or proof of vaccination is required for entry.
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This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2021.